Author's Note:

Hi friends! I want as many people as possible to enjoy this story, even if they haven't read Healed. So, for those unfamiliar with the character, Jet is my OC SkyWing who works at a type of therapy facility called the Healing Center. She likes ghosts, Sora, and food fights.

And for those who have read Healed: Hey guys, it's Jet! I actually wrote a story about her!

Anyway, enjoy!

Jet had never felt this way about anybody before.

Sure, she had had plenty of crushes in the past. Those were as common as scales on a dragon.

There had been that super nice goalie on her wing-ball team that she had fancied for a few months, and that really cute barista that always gave her extra whip-cream on her daily coffee.

But Sora was different. Jet had known that from the moment she'd met the timid MudWing almost a year ago. Everything about her had been so soft, like velvet on silk or the brush of dew-tipped ferns along your stomach. But beneath the bruised petals was a core like burning iron and scalding cold. Jet had been instantly drawn to her, even if just to be her friend.

How quickly things had changed. How quickly she had fallen in love.

The SkyWing sighed and pressed the heel of her palms into her eyes. She was sitting at the Front Desk as usual, bored out of her mind making maps and pamphlets. She knew it was important work but WHY did it have to be so mind-numbing? She stole a glance at the window at her left. The sun hadn't moved since the last time she'd checked – which had been three minutes ago. She groaned loudly, drawing the attention of several dragons lounging in the couches nearby.

The Front Desk wasn't in its own office, it was pushed against the back wall of the large inside court-yard at the center of the north-most building. The walls surrounding the opened space were full of doors leading to the patients' rooms. This building was one of four which served as a resident building for patients, although most housed other amenities as well.

Just five more pamphlets to go! Jet pepped herself up. You can do this! And once you're done you'll get to go on your date with Sora.

Jet's heart boomed in her chest like thunder. If boredom wasn't distraction enough, how could she ever hope to concentrate when, in just a few mere hours, she would be on her first date with her beloved? She rested her head on the desk and sighed. How could anyone be expected to work is such conditions?

Her saviour came in the form of her mother, Zephyr. As Matron of the Healing Center, and a Soul Healer herself, the older female was the second most powerful dragon in the facility, second only to Queen Ruby. Both she and her mother shared the same orange scales with pink undertones, although what set Jet apart were the thick ribbons of charcoal black scales that began at her eyes, running down the length of her neck to rest on her shoulders like a scarf. They were her name-sake, and when she had been a dragonet she had used to tell everyone that they were burn marks from when she had fought a fire-goblin.

She had thought it was a great story. Her mother, teachers, and essentially every other adult, had not.

The only time her mother had commented on the markings she had simply said, you got them from your father. The dragon Jet had never met.

Jet was whipped from her thoughts as the heavy pile of papers slammed atop her desk. She snapped to attention. "I'm awake! I swear!"

Her mother tutted with amusement. "Mhm, I can see that."

Jet hastily cleaned up the bottles of coloured ink and papers strewn about. "So, uh, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Her mother patted the fat pile of twine-bound parchment. "Just bringing some files for you to sort through when you have the time, but no rush." Her mother then looked at her, copper irises constricting around the pupil. "Long day?" she asked at length.

Jet nodded. Her mother could analyse someone quicker than it took to blink. It's what made her a great Soul Healer and, at times, an annoying yet effective mother.

"If I have to make another pamphlet I think I'm going to pass out."

Jet's ears twitched when her mother laughed. "I know its dull work but let's not get too dramatic." The matron thought for a moment before scanning the room. Everything and everyone moved with the ease and pace of a lulling stream. The hot breath of summer swept through the room, hardly eliciting a reaction. Most dragons were outside enjoying the good weather, but the cooler shade of the building lured some in to recline on the couches and sofas. Her mother cast a winking eye her way.

"It's pretty quiet this afternoon…I doubt anyone would notice if you slipped away for the rest of the day…just make sure to leave a note directing any passersby to my office, OK?"

Jet didn't need it spelled out. She leapt to her feet, the chair behind her clattering against the wall. She could finish these pamphlets tomorrow. When your mother gave you a free pass for the day you didn't say no.

Quickly she wrote the note, cleaned up her desk to make it look somewhat organized, and made a dash for the exit just as her mother coughed out a sharp, "Ahem."

Jet skidded to a halt and turned around. "Oops, sorry." She ran up and gave her mom a quick hug. "Thanks, mom. You're the best!"

"Yes. Yes I am," Zephyr agreed, although Jet barely heard the last few words as she was already outside. She had a date to prepare for.

The sun teetered on the horizon as Jet filled the bag strapped across her chest. She packed only the essentials: some snacks for the journey, a map of the the mountains and surrounding forests, and finally, several protection amulets made of lavender stocks stuffed into a boar's tusk. Yes, she had everything she needed. Chasing ghosts was not something you wanted to do without protection.

As always happened before such an adventure, a pleasing hum of exhilaration filled her body.

Ever since Jet had been a dragonet, the paranormal and mystical had fascinated her. As soon as she had been able to read, Jet had poured through whatever she could get her talons on: ghost stories, fairy tales, lore, legends, eye-witness accounts, and macabre stories of all sorts. But even that hadn't been enough. By age three she was seeking them out on her own – which had been very difficult with a curfew that demanded she be back before sundown. Her mother just hadn't understood that all the BEST spooky stuff happens at night!

But now I don't have a curfew. Jet's thoughts were triumphant. She could spend the night chasing the creatures and spirits that could only found where few dare to tread. And she would be doing it with her girlfriend! Her heart thrummed against her ribs at the thought of Sora and all the kisses she was going to give her.

Life was good.

Jet fastened the clasp on her bag and turned her face to meet the heat of the fading sun. It was time to meet with Sora. She flung open the large window to her room, ignoring her mother's voice as it rattled inside her head, reminding her to use the front door to leave and to not jump out of the second story window. Apparently they had gotten complaints from the shop keeper bellow about scaring the customers.

Since Jet and her mother had already lived in the Capitol before the Healing Center was built, they had declined Queen Ruby's offer of an apartment in the palace where the other Soul Healers who had come from abroad lived.

Instead they lived above a shop that always seemed to be changing owners. Right now there was a chic café that specialized in mixing ground bugs into their coffees, and as the warm evening breeze drifted into her room it carried with it the scent of powdered beetles and expresso.

Not wasting any more time she propelled herself into the sky, flying back quickly to shut her window before continuing towards the Healing Center.

Sora had agreed to meet her along the banks of the river that swelled beyond the borders of the facility. It's serpentine shaped split the meadow of purple and yellow grasses down the middle.

In took Jet several moments before spotting Sora's shimmering scales among the dull, muddy riverbanks. The MudWing was fixated on the river and didn't seem to notice her approach. Jet swooped low until the grass brushed along her stomach and she quickly transition from a slow glide to a quick trot, moving swiftly through the thickets that tangled her talons.

She approached Sora from the side and was about to call out to her, but stopped in her tracks. She could see Sora's face now, gazing out along the river and field with a look so cold and desolate it felt as though winter had gauged it's talons around her spine. Jet frowned.

She had known Sora for over a year now and had come to understand her mannerisms and body language as well as any friend or lover could. Jet understood that hollow gaze with slouching wings to mean her girlfriend was, once again, caught up in the guilt of her past. Even a year after starting therapy, while so much stronger than she'd been on arrival, Sora was still grappling with her past actions. This wasn't the first time Jet had found her tormenting herself with the memories, almost as if doing so would be a penance for her sins. At times like this, there was only one thing Jet could do.

She made her way towards Sora and her companion looked up, finally noticing her arrival. The melancholy lifted from her like mist. "Jet! This is the right spot, right? I was so worried I messed up your instructions and – oh!"

Jet hadn't stopped in front of Sora. She had continued forward until their chests met and she wrapped the slightly shorter dragon in a warm embrace. She nuzzled Sora's cheek, peppering it with small kisses until the MudWing was shaking with giggles, half-heartedly pushing Jet's face away. Unable to reach the face Jet then aimed her smooches at Sora's ticklish talon-tips and the MudWing pulled them away in a snort of laughter.

Once free of Jet's demanding lips Sora hid her red face and blissful smile behind her talons. Satisfied, Jet folded her arms across her chest. "And let that serve as warning for the next time I see you frown. We don't take kindly to sad dragons 'round these parts."

Sora rolled her eyes at the SkyWing's attempt to look stern and stuck her tongue out. Sora was far to kind to ever spit back a teasing insult, but the adorable reaction still melted Jet's heart and soul.

"So, ready to go ghost hunting!?" Jet asked with vigour, waggling her brows deviously. Sora tightly twisted the straps of her own satchel, her eyes, like veins and flecks of gold bled into a backdrop of hazel, quivered with both fear and excitement.

"Yes!"

"Excellent. Let's go."

With the last beams from the sinking sun to guide them, the two dragons took flight towards distant mountains that circled the city; towards the shifting shadows and whispers between the ferns; to where the edges of reality pulled apart like worn silk and the senses fell victim to the tricks of night.

In other words, they flew towards the catacombs.

The war had been going on for ten years before the locals decided something needed to be done. As was custom of the SkyWings, the bodies of the deceased were to be placed within the mountains, shrouded in silks to ensure their spirits returned as SkyWings. SkyWings from the North of the Kingdom followed the tradition of cremation after seven days, but there were still many that kept to the old ways, insisting their bodies remain in the mountains to complete the cycle life, death, and decomposition. For the poor, caves would suffice. For the rich, elaborate family tombs were built deep into the cold rocks where dragons of their lineage would be ensured a place among the next generations of the tribe.

But that had changed once the war started. Quickly, the caves of the mountains filled until bodies began to tumble out, the bloated corpses left bare to the elements and birds. Disease spread among the villages that lived nearby, and desperate to find room for all the bodies, they began to burrow into the mountain like never before.

Deeper and deeper they went, hastily carving vast tunnels and chambers until they reached the other side. The bodies, some which were merely skeletons at this point, where stuffed into alcoves and shelves that dented the walls. For those whose names were known, they received a little plaque beneath their bed. That was all.

"The catacombs remained in use for the duration of the war," Jet continued her exposition to the rapt MudWing as they soared along the jutting rocks and crags of the mountain. "Now, though, they're mostly sealed off from the public, but there are areas we should have access to…if you're not too scared that is."

Sora clutched her talons to her chest. "Oh, I'm not scared. I've been looking forward to this all day!"

Jet chuckled, shaking her head in amazement. She knew Sora wasn't afraid. It was one of the things that had drawn Jet in. Jet rarely shared her…peculiar interests with others. They would either tell her she's stupid for believing is such things, like Flame, or would cower in fear at the very idea of the supernatural, like Umber.

Sora, though, had been open-minded about the whole thing. Gradually that mild interest turned to intrigued turned to fascination until her enthusiasm matched even Jet's.

Jet still couldn't believe her luck that she had found a kindred spirit, but, then again, perhaps it wasn't so surprising. Sora had been surrounded by death for most of her life, and having lost a sister, well, Jet could understand.

It had been her own father's death that had ignited the spark within her to search for things unseen. He had died several months before she hatched. She'd never met him yet somehow that hadn't stopped the pangs that had wracked her heart. The more she had learned of him, the stronger the sensation of incompleteness had become until a chasm had split through her.

Only when she had delved into the world of ghosts had the longing echoes abated. In a way, it was like being closer to her father, and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't hope, even just the tiniest bit, that she would stumble upon him someday.

A gasp from Sora brought her reflections to an end. "Is that it? Is that the entrance to the catacombs!?"

Jet craned her neck to take a look.

Hidden in the shadows of an outcrop was a yawning hole in the mountain like a wrinkled maw thrown open in a wail, yet its unnatural smoothness alienated it from the surrounding grooves and ragged indents.

The workers who had mined the hole had left no distinctive decoration around the opening, but the locals had improvised. Thinly etched along the curve of the entrance read: Tomb of the Bravely Fallen: May Their Weary Spirits Rise Above to the Glory of the Light.

A jittery tremble passed along Jet's scales. She was excited to show Sora the catacombs, but coupled with that exhilaration was a somber touch. These were the resting places of fallen warriors who, in her mind, had deserved more than a quickly chiselled hole in the wall. She would show them all the respect they deserved.

She eyed Sora, gauging her reaction. The MudWing's mouth was parted slightly, her eyes bulging. Jet hoped Sora wasn't having second thoughts. If she was, she hid it well and met Jet's gaze with a smile. Jet returned it. It was hard not to.

The settled down onto the plateau that opened before the entrance. A stray breeze sheered along the mountains face, shaking the scraggily trees that desperately clung to the rocks to either side, their dry branches creaking like bones. It blew into the black chasm before them, emitting shrill cries and moans as it whistled through the carved tunnels.

A chill ran up Jet's spine just as Sora wrapped her wings around herself. "Did you feel that?" she asked, her voice breathy. Jet nodded.

They stared at each other before cracking massive grins and clutched their talons together, squealing in delight.

"This is so creepy!" Sora beamed, wrapping her wings in tighter. "Is it weird that I think this is so much fun? Because I feel like I shouldn't be so excited about this but I just am!"

"The creepiness makes it fun," Jet stated. She let go of Sora's talons and took a brave step forward. Her heart pounded, maybe because of Sora or maybe because of the minute movements she swore she saw in the darkness. Either way, adrenalin pulsed along with her rushing blood. She turned back to Sora with a grin. "Well? Coming?"

In an instant Sora was at her side, and with their flanks pressing together the two females stepped into the tombs.

The first area was nothing special. It was more of an entrance chamber before the catacombs proper. Still, there was something about being inside the mountain that was unnerving. Perhaps in was the way your heartbeat echoed along the walls or the gentle draft that pulled at your talons in the direction of the dead. It was like stepping through a threshold.

"There are no bodies in this area," said Jet. "They're passed the gates, but this room is opened to the public."

Sora nodded, but the blank expression indicated she wasn't listening.

Drawn by something along the walls Sora drifted from her side. She approached the row of small wooden boxes carefully stacked like bricks. All were richly decorated in the style of the local villages which included complex patterns etched around the rim accompanied by elaborate carvings on the lid. Most depicted stylized dragons engaging in activities ranging from flying to fighting to sowing wheat, but some showed mountain imagery and flowers so real Jet felt the urge to run her talons along their fibrous leaves.

Along the top border of the central image was a name. Each box had one.

Sora reached out to touch them, but pulled back at the last moment. Nearby one of the cases had fallen from the stack, its lid skewed open from the impact. She peered inside and frowned. "There's…a little straw dragon inside."

"They're called straw-bodies," Jet supplied as she came to stand behind Sora. "They're part of an old SkyWing tradition dating back to the tribe's birth." Sora's head tilted to the side, her eyes pooling with curiosity, and Jet decided now was the perfect time to impress her girlfriend with her knowledge of SkyWing traditions. Jet cleared her throat, getting into story-mode.

"All SkyWing's know that, in order to be reborn a SkyWing, their bodies must be placed in the mountains, right? But what happens when the bodies can't be recovered? When natural disasters strike, victims of the chaos can have their bodies swept away by floods or buried under boulders. During war, they are often left on the battle field. So, what happens to the spirits then?"

The question was rhetorical but Sora, always eager to humor Jet (which Jet was very grateful for), tried for an answer. "Do they become ghosts? Doomed to spend eternity as a life-less husk, feeling neither pain nor joy?"

Jet tapped her chin and considered the response. "I appreciate your creativity, and, actually, you're pretty close! For those whose bodies cannot be collected, the spirits have two choices. They could pass on and take the chance of not being reborn a SkyWing, or they return…although not as living beings. They become what we call sgàil bhrònach."

Sora's face twisted like she'd just took a sip of bitter soup. "Sga –wha?"

"Sg-al br-au-nuhkh," Jet accentuated and shrugged. "It's from the old language or something. Means 'sorrowful shadow' because, when these spirits come back, they have nowhere to go so they return to their families and hang on them like a shadow, bringing bad luck and misfortune…not that they mean to of course," Jet clarified promptly. "But, in order to put the spirits to rest and stop the bad luck, the families create the straw-bodies like a little replica of their relative. They coerce the spirit into the straw-body and then give it a proper burial in the mountains."

Sora's face became complacent. "Ooooh, so that's what they're for. Huh." She peered into the box again, her features transitioning from interested to pained. "So each of one these little dragons represents a dead SkyWing?"

Jet bit her lip. She had wanted to impress Sora, not make her sad. "Yeah."

At that point Jet became heavily aware of just how many boxes there were. At this shallow point in the cave there was merely one row along the walls, but deeper in they began to pile. In the carved room that housed the iron-gates, a room easily larger than Jet's apartment, the boxes were piled to the ceiling in a shaky wall that was thicker at the bottom and teetered off at the top. As Sora and Jet stepped into the grand room the air felt heavy.

Jet watched Sora from the corner of her eye and began to despair. The MudWing looked forlorn, her open gaze drinking in the vast body-count that each little straw doll represented.

Jet chastise herself. What was I thinking bringing her here? Of course she'd think it's depressing. Moons, I'm so dumb! What should I do now? What will make it better?

Jet pressed herself against Sora, extending a wing around her. "Hey, if this is bothering you we can leave."

"No!" Sora suddenly sat straight, the edge in her voice crackling. A moment later she recoiled at her own harshness, hunching over meekly as if to compensate. "I mean - I'm fine. I don't want to leave."

Everything about her body language indicated the contrary. She huddled against Jet and shivered. "Are you sure?" Jet leveled her eyes with Sora's. "Because it seems to be bothering you. I mean, it is pretty grim stuff. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to go."

Sora sighed, her sad smile like a punch to the chest. "Just because something makes me sad doesn't mean I'm going to run away from it. Not anymore at least." Jet's head swam with confusion as Sora took a step towards the wall of wooden containers. She picked up one that had fallen to the ground and set it straight, lovingly brushing away the dust and grit from its vibrant carvings.

"That's what Zephyr's been teaching me to do, anyway," she spoke again. "She wants me to acknowledge my feelings, the good and bad ones, so I can learn to deal with them."

Jet nodded, finally understanding. Jet had always considered it a stroke of luck that Zephyr, her mother, had ended up as Sora's Soul Healer. It had meant they had grown closer faster since Jet had always been stopping by the office. But, really, she was just happy that Sora had gotten the help she had needed.

Jet walked over to her girlfriend and rested her talon over Sora's which still lay on the box. "If you want to stay, we'll stay. Whatever you want to do I'll support you one-hundred percent. But," Jet rubbed her beck with her free talon, "I didn't intend to make you sad by bringing you here. I just wanted to bring you to a scary place so that I could act all tough and brave to make you swoon at how courageous I am."

Sora snorted before bursting into giggles; the tightness in Jet's neck released at the sound. Still laughing she reached up and brushed her talons along Jet's cheek. Jet had to use all her will to not melt at the contact.

"I already think you're brave and amazing. You don't need to throw yourself at ghosts to prove that."

Jet's face went pink, heat rolling from her scales in waves as Sora's thumb stroked circled into her burning skin. Sora pulled her talon away, the smile on her face faltering.

"I mean, even though it's sad, it's also kind of…nice."

"What do you mean?"

Sora's brow wrinkled in thought. "I guess it makes me happy that these dragons cared enough to bury their family. It shows that they loved them."

Jet decided not to remind Sora that the sgàil bhrònach's bad luck might also have been a factor. However, there was something to be said for the time and effort put into preparing the miniature coffins. Many looked handmade, care place into each etching and design. Jet's attention was torn from the wall before her as Sora leaned against her body, the warmth a stark contrast to the cool air. But when Jet saw the MudWing's expression her heart sank.

There was a glassy sheen to Sora's eyes, like glistening orbs against a blank, emotionless face. Jet knew what that look meant.

"You're thinking about Crane again," Jet stated, but Sora nodded as if it had been a question.

"It's just…we never got to give her a burial." She looked to the floor, her body folding in. With no hesitation Jet wrapped Sora in a tight hug.

"Oh, love," she whispered mournfully against Sora's temple. She wracked her brain, trying to think of what she could do to help. What could make Sora feel better? Without stopping to filter her words Jet blurted out the first idea that came to mind. "What if we gave her a symbolic burial? Like the sgàil bhrònach."

She held her breath and waited for Sora's reaction. Jet felt a little guilty for being so anxious, but when the topic of her dead sister came up, it was difficult to predict how Sora would react. She had used to react with tears, but that hadn't happened for a while. Still, was Jet's suggestion going to upset her further? It was a sensitive topic.

To her relief, Sora's face brightened. "Really? Could we?"

The SkyWing kissed her partner's forehead, just happy to see her smiling again. "Of course, love. If you want, there's a forest within the valley below. I don't know if MudWing's prefer forests over mountains."

Sora smiled. "The forest would be nice."

Happy to see Sora happy, Jet gave her a kiss; then another and another and another until Sora had to pull away.

"Jet!" she exclaimed. "We can't start kissing here! It would be disrespectful!"

"We're not actually in the tombs yet. Besides," Jet assured, trying to sneak through Sora's weak defenses. "I asked the ghosts and they said they're fine with it."

"Mhm, sure they did." Sora pushed against her chest in defiance, but the way her half-lidded eyes held Jet's showed just how eager she was.

In one graceful motion Jet brought their heads together while Sora's talons slipped from her chest to wrap around her neck, but before anything could happen another gust of wind howled through the tunnels and angrily shook the chained iron gates.

The dragons jumped apart, clutching at their hearts. Realizing it was just the wind they burst out laughing.

"I don't speak ghost but I think they just told us to get a room," Sora said.

"Yeaaaaaah, I think you're right."

The gates, like dull-red roots coiling and weaving into bars large enough to see through but not pass, still clanked from the ruckus. Jet gripped the bars to steady them and then peered inside. Somewhere, deep in the darkness ahead, laid the remains of thousands of SkyWings. Hesitantly Sora joined her; the MudWings broad snout couldn't fit through the bars so she opted to just grasp the iron rods. Sora's tail shyly reached out to curl around Jet's.

"You know," she started, her voice like the leaves of a willow dragging along the ground, "at first I was a little disappointed that the catacombs were closed, but now," she peered over her shoulder at a stray noise, "now I'm kind of glad."

Jet snorted in agreement. "I mean, there are ways to sneak around the gates, but as much as I want to impress you, it'd be pretty stupid of me to lead you through the catacombs at night. I don't exactly have the place memorized."

"Yes. I'd rather not get lost in there, thank you very much."

Jet turned away from the expanding darkness and nuzzled Sora's shoulder. "Then shall we go? It'll be moon-high soon, the perfect time for treading the soft earth between the leaves."

Sora chortled. "Is that your way of asking if I want to go to the forest now?"

"Yeah, but I was trying to be poetic about it. Was it poetic?"

Sora suddenly took a great interest in the floor. "Uhh – we should be heading out now. Don't want to be late for…um…well we just shouldn't be late." She zoomed off out of the tunnel, leaving Jet standing there, perplexed.

"Hang on a minute!" she finally said, getting off her talons and charging after the giggling MudWing. "Sora! You get back here and tell me how poetic I am!"

They reached the forest just as the lacy veil of midnight dropped like a cobweb over the mountain range. They got to work immediately, collecting twigs and twine from the forest floor to craft the Crane-miniature.

It pleased Jet greatly that Sora seemed to be enjoying herself. The MudWing hummed while she assembled the oak branches into a bundle, tying it all together with long grass stems.

While Sora finished up Jet closed her eyes to absorb the ambiance. All around them the forest pulsed with a hum of life and magic; an energy so different from the mournful call of the tombs. Jet inhaled the scent of sodden soil and sharp pine. Memories sprang to her mind.

She recalled her mother speaking. She had been telling Jet about her father, how he had lived in the forest when they had met. Zephyr had been a medical student back then and had sneaked out during the night to visit him. When Jet had been young she had thought the whole thing to be terribly romantic. As small as she was, the forest had been something untouchable and dangerous; where cold mists hid monsters and danger lurked behind every gnarled trunk.

As that memory faded another took its place.

She saw a much younger version of herself running through the undergrowth; brambles scraping her wings and tangling around her claws. She had been chasing after…what exactly? She remembered it had glowed white – like an orb. There had been a voice, too…

"OK. I'm ready!" Sora appeared, holding out the small dragon proudly. Jet had never considered Sora much of a sculptor, but the gorgeous MudWing had managed to create something that looked passable as a dragon with a fiddle-head for a tail and elm leaves for wings.

Jet beamed at her girlfriend. "It looks fantastic! Where would you like to bury her?"

Sora held the doll close to her chest, stroking its back tenderly. "I saw a muddy patch toward the center of the forest. I think Crane would like it there."

Jet took an anxious look behind her. From where she sat, the edge of the forest was just visible through the line of trees that twisted and bent like an old dragon's neck. She supposed if they got lost they could just fly out, but should they take the risk?

In the end, it was the fragile hope in Sora's eyes that broke Jet's will and convinced her it was a wonderful idea to go romping through the deep woods at night.

Maybe we won't have to go far, she hoped. For the first while Jet tried to keep track of every stone and twig on the ground to create some sort of imaginary trail to lead them back, but as they continued further Jet's worries subsided. She couldn't explain it, but somehow she just knew they'd be alright. It was like a third dragon had joined their party, someone who knew the forest and was guiding them, but every time Jet turned to the sound of talons hitting the earth there was no one there.

She had been so distracted by this feeling she hadn't noticed what Sora had found.

"Here!" the MudWing quickly declared, her decisive steps taking her to a little clearing. It wasn't exactly muddy, but the ground was soft and moist beneath the wet layer of grass and fallen nettles. It squished beneath Jet's weight, her talons leaving deep imprints in the ground.

Mist was coiling from the wet dirt as Sora came into view, sitting snugly on a carpet of leaves. "I found the perfect spot," she informed as Jet smiled. But as the fog wafted away at her steps Jet gasped at what surrounded Sora: a perfect ring of mushrooms; their tops were flat and wide like white parasols with no uniform size. The whole thing had to be easily nine or ten meters wide, the biggest Jet had ever seen.

Her smile dropped and her voice came out as a rapid hiss. "Sora, get out of the fairy circle."

"What?" Sora looked at the ring of fungus around her. "But this is the perfect spot! I feel like the forest marked it just for me to find."

"Is there really no other place?" Jet groaned. Sora promptly shook her head.

"How about just outside the ring? That'd be good too, right? Come on, let's find another place." She reached her talons out for Sora to grab it, a signal to step out.

Sora didn't budge but cocked her head. "Why? It is dangerous?"

"Yes! Uh, well, no." Jet fumbled to explain. "My tribe believes fairy circles are like portals. If you get taken to the fairy realm you won't be able to come back. I mean, it's just a folktale but, still, you should come out now."

The gold veins in the MudWing's eyes glinted with mischief in the starlight. "You mean to tell me that, you, the brave and wonderful Jet, are afraid of some mushrooms?"

Jet knew it was a ploy to lure her in. Sora was playing on her pride; a bold move indeed…and it completely worked.

"I'm not afraid!"

Sora patted the earth beside her, her smirk challenging Jet to prove it.

The SkyWing took a breath and looked down at the fungus. That's all it was: fungus. Why was she getting so worked up about it? Jet believed in a lot of things most would consider strange and eccentric. To her, the mysterious made her bold and filled her with wonder. What was it about some innocent fairy-tale that made her talons shake?

But really, Jet already knew the answer. It was because they reminded her of her father. Intermingled with the lore and magic of the fairy circle was the foundation by which the idea of her father rested. The two concepts could not be separated, all because of a simple story her mother had told her.

"So…you gonna come in?" Sora asked. Jet shook away the tendrils of emotions.

"Erm, yeah. Just…give me a sec." Jet inhaled again, lifted her left talon, and placed it over the ring. It hovered there for a heartbeat, than another, before falling to the ground like a slab of iron hitting stone. Jet held her breath, but nothing happened. No portal opened beneath her claws to pull her down.

Soon enough two talons were in, then three, and finally all four.

Sora clapped ecstatically for every step Jet took. She pulled Jet into the center of the ring, but as usual her strength outmatched Jet's preparation and they tumbled together to the soil.

Despite the fearful knot in her gut, rolling around on the ground with Sora made everything feel better. Suddenly she became aware of how silly she had been acting. She felt even better when Sora tucked her head beneath Jet's chin, releasing a contended sigh. They didn't speak. The chirping of insects in the grass coupled with the clatter of rustling leaves buffered the silence like welcomed conversation.

"I never knew all that stuff about fairy circles," Sora whispered at length, fearful to interrupt the sounds of nature. "Do all SkyWings take that stuff as seriously as you do?"

Jet bit her lip. "Well, it's not so much that I honestly thought you were going to get sucked away. It's just – I don't know. It reminds me of my father."

Sora turned serious. "Oh, Jet. I'm sorry, I didn't know – "

"It's fine, Sora!" Jet assured her girlfriend with a kiss. "It's not a sad memory or anything. In fact, it's not even really a memory. It's just…" Jet paused. Sora knew that Jet's father was dead, but Jet had never told her the story that was now fighting its way up from the deepest sections of her mind. She had never shared it with anyone before because it felt too personal. It wasn't a grand story, but intimate.

As usual, it began with her mother's accounts of her father. Apparently when they had been together, Zephyr used to jokingly call her father a fairy prince. She did this because, at the time, he lived in the forest near a fairy ring, but most importantly, he was renowned for his beautiful voice. With a lilt so hauntingly pure it was considered to be otherworldly, and thus, he must be a fairy.

It had all been a playful joke between her parents, but when Jet had been too young to understand what death meant, she had taken that story to heart.

Her father had disappeared because he had had to return to his realm! Or maybe he got stuck there. Whatever the cause, younger Jet had been determined to find him. For the first two years of her life, whenever her mother's back was turned, she would spring to the forest and search for the magical portals. She had figured it would be instinctive which portal her father had gone through, all she needed to do was find it and her inherit fairy powers would tell her the rest. She would find her father and bring him back!

But, of course that hadn't happened, and as her interest in the fairies and portals waned her interest in the dead came to light. Despite the changes that the years had brought her, that same dragonet, with willow-wisps and dew-drops clinging to her scales, still lingered at the fringes of her mind like an unspoken promise. Who that promise was for, she couldn't say.

Those memories were just as big a part of her own life as they were her father's and something she never intended to share…except for today. If there's anyone she wanted to tell this tale to, it was Sora, the dragoness she loved with all her soul. Resigning to the will of her heart, Jet turned to Sora, and let it all out.

When Jet had finished she felt like a tree stripped of its bark, raw and exposed, but Sora's loving expression healed all concerns. Her talons, cool like the surrounding mist, cupped Jet's face.

"It's amazing how you can have such strong memories about someone you've never met," she commented, impressed.

Jet snorted and blanketed the two with an outstretch wing. The night continued to seep away the heat of the air and the bushes rustled without a breeze. "Really? Are you sure it's not pathetic or weird?"

Sora's glowing eyes turned harsh and Jet bit her lip. Regret slammed the roof of her mouth as if it could reach out and pull back all the words back.

"You know I hate it when you talk about yourself like that," Sora said and sat up on her haunches. Jet sullenly followed suite.

"I – yeah I know. I'm sorry."

"You're not pathetic or weird. You're lovely and wonderful and I'm so happy to have met you." Sora bumped their noses together and Jet was struck with a wave of dizziness while her heart nearly flew out of her chest.

Finally Jet pulled her voice back from where it had sunk to her stomach and rolled on her side. "Stop, please. Before my heart bursts and I die from rapid blood loss."

At that Sora stood, her knees bent and head lowered in a playfully threatening display. "You're telling me to stop? Oh how the tables have turned."

Feeling the winds of battle shift her way Jet shot to her feet and arranged her long body into something of a fighting stance. She tried her best at returning the taunt but didn't quite have the aptitude for it. Where were all her poetic words now? "Yes…well…I have nothing clever to say back but if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll – HANG ON I'M NOT READY!"

Sora hadn't even given her the courtesy of finishing her sentence before pouncing. Jet rolled out of the way just in time but Sora was fast and pinned one of Jet's wings, keeping her in place.

Jet would fight this battle to the end, even while knowing it was a lost cause. It had taken Sora a while to feel comfortable with play-battle. For the longest time it had brought back too many terrible memories, but slowly her spirit for it had returned…and she was really good at it. It also didn't help Jet's ego that Sora went easy on her. Even now, as they wrestled in the dirt, Sora's blows hardly left a mark or bruise, but Jet knew it was just a matter of time until she was pinned to the ground and the match was over.

Despite Jet being taller, Sora definitely had experience on her side…and weight…and skill. But it wasn't those things that put Sora as the winner every time. No. It was because she was a big cheater! At every opportunity the MudWing would land a kiss or nip somewhere on Jet's body, completely throwing her off and clouding her mind. Just like she was doing now.

Jet swiped at Sora, but she ducked beneath the talon and popped right back up to give Jet's snout a smooch. Completely dazed Jet hardly knew what was happening as Sora's tail swung low to trip her and she stumbled to the ground in a clatter of frantic wings and kicking legs.

The impact was soft thanks to the sodden earth, but Jet pretended to be mortally wounded, holding her chest in agony. "Cheater!" she wailed, throwing in some distressing moans and other sounds dying dragons probably made. "Have you no honor?"

Sora giggled and threw herself atop Jet, forcing the air from the SkyWing's lungs. Sora was a big girl, and Jet loved every inch and pound.

"It's not cheating. We never established any rules to begin with." The brown dragoness wiggled herself around until they were the same orientation, their underbellies pressed together. Sora's face filled Jet's vision while her body greedily absorbed the other's heat, concentrating it into a swarming ball of butterflies that grew in her stomach. Jet gulped in the scent of her lover, feeling like she had just downed ten glasses of the strongest wine.

Sora leaned down until their breath mixed. Jet's pulse quickened. "Do you want to know how I know you're not weird or pathetic?" she whispered and it took Jet a moment to understand what was being said.

Jet blinked a few times but the steamy haze remained. "Hmm?"

Sora shook her head and laughed, no doubt at the dopey expression smearing Jet's face. "I said: do you want to know how I know you're not weird or pathetic?"

Finally Jet snapped out of her stupor. "Oh. You mean you actually have proof I'm not crazy? Would you be able to write it down and sign it so I can show everyone? That'd be great."

Her girlfriend's face plumped with a smile before she silenced Jet with a kiss on the lips. Sora could be a bold vixen when she wanted to.

"Well, I'm not sure 'proof' is the word I'd use. I just wanted you to know that everyone handles grief differently. You were so young at the time – you were just handling your father's death as best you could."

Jet averted her gaze without meaning to but Sora reeled her back into the present when she twined their tales. "Besides," she muttered more quietly, "it's no worse than what I did."

Jet stiffened. "Sora, stop torturing yourself. You're getting better every day and – "

"No, no. I'm not referring to that," Sora quickly assured. Then it was Sora's turn to lower her gaze, focusing her eyes on a beetle crawling over a mushroom. She pulled at the strap holding her bag against her chest, twisting the already warn leather nervously. "I've never told anyone this story. Maybe because I was a little embarrassed by it."

Unable to bear such a shattered look Jet bundled Sora's white-knuckled talons in her own, pressing them to her mouth. Sora smiled gratefully and relaxed at the touch. "Sorry," Sora muttered. "It just gets hard…going back to that time… "

"I understand. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."

Sora gave out a huff, taking back one of her talons to lean her head against. "But you just told me a bunch of personal stuff! This is what girlfriend do; they share things!"

Jet pursed her lips. Was she handling Sora too delicately? It was hard to remember she was no longer the same dragoness that had jumped at her own shadow. Sora could handle her past now.

"OK. You're right." Jet grinned. "Share away. And don't leave out any embarrassing details."

Sora squished Jet's cheeks together and laughed. "You're so ridiculous!" she said before, moments later, her mouth straightened and she sighed. Jet held her close as she spoke.

"The first few weeks after Crane died I was in denial. Each night, when the rest of my sibs went to bed, I used to sit up and wait for her to come home. I'd usually just end up falling sleep by the door, but that wasn't all that I did. Each day I put aside parts of my meal so she could have something to eat when she came back. When my sibs removed her belongings, I snuck out and took them all back and hid them with my stuff." She rested her head along Jet's chest. "Looking back on it my behaviour seems crazy, but I guess I was just mourning." Sora fell silent for a moment and when she spoke again her voice was like stepping on broken seashells. "Once I realized she wasn't coming back, that's when all the problems began. My panic attacks and nightmares became worse, and every small little issue was world-ending."

Sora snuggled deeper into Jet's embrace. "And none of your sibs knew you were doing this stuff?" the SkyWing asked.

"No. Well, Umber might have but he never said anything about it." Again Sora leaned in closer but yelped when something sharp poked out from her satchel. It was a little foot made of branches. Panicked the MudWing sat up and pulled out the Crane-miniature from her bag, sighing in relief that it was still intact.

"I should have been more careful. I nearly destroyed her!"

Jet ambled to her feet. The leaf wings of the doll were wrinkled but otherwise it was fine, although Sora's distress was evident.

"Let's bury her now before she gets damaged again" Jet suggested and Sora silently agreed. She took the doll to the center of the ring, holding her in one talon and using the other to shovel out a small hole. Sora brought the doll to her mouth and kissed it.

"Goodbye, Crane. I love you." She placed the item in the ground and poured the soil in rhythmically until a small mound emerged. Sora patted the crumbled earth into a smooth hill, and then simply left them there, cradling the small rise. Jet placed her own talons over Sora's, her thoughts roaming.

Earth and soil, stone and rock, flesh and bone. In the end, it's all the same. Jet thought again of the countless SkyWings hastily buried in mountain, of all those who hadn't been able to be buried, of Crane, the dragoness she had never met yet still mourned, and of her father. What I wouldn't give to see how my life turns out in the end. Will I be happy? What will I regret? Will I leave behind a legacy? She chewed the inside of her cheek. Will I be with Sora? Jet looked up to study her mate, taking in the warm honey undertones that lined her eyes and brows, how they trickled down her throat like strings of sun-lit dew drops. But it was the smile on the MudWing's lips that stole her breath. She squeezed Sora's talons tight to calm the acrobatic acts her heart was doing. Just take one day at a time. We'll be alright.

Jet must have been staring because Sora finally met her eyes and blushed deeply. "What is it?"

"I love you, Sora," Jet whispered. It carried in the night breeze, turning Sora's rosy cheeks crimson. The MudWing buried her head in Jet's neck and burst with giggles.

"I love you, too." Her breath feathered Jet's scales.

They remained like that until a rouge wind grazed the tree-tops, drawing Jet's attention upwards towards the sky and moons. They were deep into the night now. It was time they went home.

She said this to Sora and then, hesitantly, added, "I know it wasn't as good as a real burial, and that none of your other sibs were here, but I hope…"

What did Jet hope? That it had been good enough? That it was better than nothing? All options seemed weak in the face of the deep sorrow Crane's death had brought. It made the whole thing seem rather silly, that burying a doll could make everything better.

But only when Sora threw her arms around Jet's neck, eyes brimming with love and gratitude, did Jet's worries vanish. "It was wonderful. Thank you so much – for all of this – I'm just so – ," Sora paused to gulp down a lung-filling breath, exhaling it a moment later until her voice steadied and serenity gilded her features. "Thank you."

Light, pure and beautiful, filled Jet's core. "Anytime, love."

The two hugged under the night's starry belly before stepping apart to take off. As they ascended to the cloud-line, Jet stole a last glance down at the shrinking fairy ring. For the barest of moments, streams of light spun around the circle in a frantic dance, moving to join at the center above the small mound. In an instant it was gone, but the glow burned in Jet's mind like an after-image, leaving her to shake her head in wonderment.

A wispy figure watched the two dragons disappear behind the clouds. Really, he wasn't supposed to be here. He hadn't belonged to this world for a long time now. Even so, in life he hadn't really followed the rules so why start now?

He watched the two dragonesses fly off. One of them, a MudWing, a new face; the other, though, he had been watching over in a way he had planned to in life.

He sighed. He had tried his best to keep her from getting lost in the forest. Maybe next time she'd have the sense to follow the marked trials. Then again, this was Jet. She had the same amount of stubborn resolve as her mother. If she decided she wanted to wander around the forest at night, well, there wasn't much he could do about it.

Nearby a branch creaked as something heavy landed. He looked over to see a crow perched on the bobbing scion. It peered at him, black eyes made white in the moonlight. It cawed once and flew off with a shuffle of disturbed air.

The figure nodded. That was his signal to go back. Besides, his work for the night was done. How much trouble could Jet get into on her way back home anyway?

He grimaced and decided to not answer that question.

The shadow-dragon closed his eyes and relaxed his body, letting it fade and drip away. Without his focus to keep it intact, it quickly vanished into mist and vapours. For now he would return to the stars for rest until he was needed again.

Moments later the figure was gone, and the clearing empty, save for the small mound in the center.